Thoughts on Cars Land replacing Tom Sawyer Island at The MK

[sam_gordon]

It will be fine, but that current vibe will be gone. It will be a new and different vibe and it will probably be good, but the other one will be gone.

Imagine if we put a Drop Zone tower in the mote in front of the castle. lol
Same feeling, a vibe would be gone, and there would certainly be a new vibe.

Yes, things will be "different". Will it make WDW "like any other theme park"? Doubtful.

That doesn't matter to those who are sad to see these changes. I've seen many BIG changes that bothered me since 1972 (like...There was NO maintanence/construction WDW during guest hours & NO fireworks/light shows or extended hours at AK to disturb the animals & let's not mention losing FP)
But THESE upcoming changes remove more of the heart of WDW & replaces DISNEY with more PIXAR. Sure, each gen has faves, but why throw the baby out altogether?
And the constant construction EVERYWHERE ALL THE TIME ALL AT ONCE is not acceptable. Folks get a lot less from their "experience" bc of it.
Yes. I'll always go to WDW even if when I'm as old as Dick Van Dyke. And I'll always miss what we've lost... They built a 2nd "castle" which diminished the ICON of WDW & yes, they even tore down Mickey's Housebut as a DVC owner & shareholder for decades, it remains my happy place, but only bc I still remember WDW the way Walt dreamed it for us.

What I'm hearing from some people on this thread is things should never be changed. No matter what attraction, multiple someones will have emotional ties to it. I'm assuming Disney knows how much use TSI and LB got. Presumably they also have an estimate on how much use a Cars land will get. They weigh those changes with what the cost would be to make the change (and I'm further assuming keeping TSI and LB and expanding the park to add Cars was also considered), and made the decision appropriately.

Will it turn out to be a bad decision? Possibly. Will it be a good one? Maybe. Will it be different? I'm sure. But should no change be made just because things will be different?

 

[loves to dive]

I have mixed thoughts about it, mostly sad ones. We love TSI, it a nice peaceful spot for the kids to run around in and be wild or to just sit and relax away from the crowds with real shade. I love the Liberty Belle, it's actually a must do for me every single trip. Again, usually a nice relaxing peaceful spot. I say usually since my last time riding it a family with 3 small boys decided to sit where I was and the boys had had it for the morning and the mother was just over the fact that they were done. Basically she sat there while one had an out and and out fit on the floor, kicking and screaming while Dad tried to distract two of the others and Grandma and Grandpa got up and left.

I'm also a little torn about how Cars fit into the the Frontierland theming. I realize it's set sort of in the southwest but it doesn't seem to fit to me. But then again, what does Tiana's which is set in New Orleans have to do with the frontier? It seems lately, they are just ignoring their own theming in order to get more IP into the parks.

 

[BrianL]

I'm also a little torn about how Cars fit into the the Frontierland theming. I realize it's set sort of in the southwest but it doesn't seem to fit to me. But then again, what does Tiana's which is set in New Orleans have to do with the frontier? It seems lately, they are just ignoring their own theming in order to get more IP into the parks.

Things haven't always just fit in exactly though. I will consider it a new "sub land" like Storybook Circus or even New Fantasyland. In fact, "New Frontierland" is a term I have seen thrown around, and I embrace that name. As opposed to being the "Old West" it is now "The American West" with some different areas with different aspects. Fantasyland has three distinct areas - the faire area, the enchanted forest area (New Fantasyland), and the circus - all three kind of different. It will definitely be a change for Frontierland, but it's not necessarily out-of-line.

 

[Douglas Dubh]

What I'm hearing from some people on this thread is things should never be changed.

Some people may think that, but I think more just want to see Disney spend money in places where it can add things, rather than just change things. Epcot, Studios, and AK all need a few more rides and rather than spend money to add rides to those parks Disney instead is going to spend a bunch of money to change things that don’t really need changing.

 

[sam_gordon]

Some people may think that, but I think more just want to see Disney spend money in places where it can add things, rather than just change things. Epcot, Studios, and AK all need a few more rides and rather than spend money to add rides to those parks Disney instead is going to spend a bunch of money to change things that don’t really need changing.

If people want a say in how a business (and that's what Disney is) does things, there are two choices...
* Vote with your wallet
* Get a job as a decision maker for the business.

Is there a reason TPTB decided to do this instead of adding rides at the other parks? Probably so. What it is, I don't know.

 

[BrianL]

Some people may think that, but I think more just want to see Disney spend money in places where it can add things, rather than just change things. Epcot, Studios, and AK all need a few more rides and rather than spend money to add rides to those parks Disney instead is going to spend a bunch of money to change things that don’t really need changing.

I agree that they should add instead of change in cases were it makes sense. Honsetly, though, at AK, Dinoland without Primeval Whirl is really just dead space. DINOSAUR could stay theroetically but it is changing because everything around it is changing. At HS, to me, if they replace the Launch Bay, that's not a big loss, but if they replace Muppets, that is. They should definitely do the former. Epcot's pretty much "done" at the moment other than the changes to Test Track, which is really just a retheme and not a replacement. I do agree though that when they do something next in Epcot, it should be focused in unused areas - i.e. Wonders of Life!

 

[Mai Ku Tiki]

Explain?

There was some public grumbling when WDW announced Be Our Guest dining would include building Beast's Castle bc DL & WDW "Castles" were meant to represent each Park & a 2nd WDW "Castle" diminished their importance. I still agree.

 

[Mai Ku Tiki]

If people want a say in how a business (and that's what Disney is) does things, there are two choices...
* Vote with your wallet
* Get a job as a decision maker for the business.

Is there a reason TPTB decided to do this instead of adding rides at the other parks? Probably so. What it is, I don't know.

ORRRRR....We can come onto friendly forums like this great community & freely voice our opinions.
And while I'm opining, I'll add that, IMO, CARS belongs in Fantasyland. They are blurring the identities of each land too much.

 

[Mai Ku Tiki]

Yes, things will be "different". Will it make WDW "like any other theme park"? Doubtful.

What I'm hearing from some people on this thread is things should never be changed. No matter what attraction, multiple someones will have emotional ties to it. I'm assuming Disney knows how much use TSI and LB got. Presumably they also have an estimate on how much use a Cars land will get. They weigh those changes with what the cost would be to make the change (and I'm further assuming keeping TSI and LB and expanding the park to add Cars was also considered), and made the decision appropriately.

Will it turn out to be a bad decision? Possibly. Will it be a good one? Maybe. Will it be different? I'm sure. But should no change be made just because things will be different?

Change is fine if it doesn't shred the original intent of the product. And I do vote with my wallet.
I'm a shareholder for 4 decades who only "buys" when it makes sense.

 

[BrianL]

There was some public grumbling when WDW announced Be Our Guest dining would include building Beast's Castle bc DL & WDW "Castles" were meant to represent each Park & a 2nd WDW "Castle" diminished their importance. I still agree.

I mean, I guess so, if you want to consider this thing a "castle"!

 

[Earningmywings]

TSI is honestly one of the things my boys look forward to the most at MK each trip. There are so few places the kids can just run around and get energy out in the parks now. They loved exploring the caves and playing hide and seek in the fort. I wish there was a way to keep it and have cars land go behind it. I feel like the people that say that haven’t been there for years don’t have young kids anymore. It will be missed by our family.

 

[Mai Ku Tiki]

I mean, I guess so, if you want to consider this thing a "castle"!

View attachment 886593

LOL! No one said it would be as majestic as Cinderella's Castle, but it IS officially "Beast's Enchanted Castle."

​

Be Our Guest Restaurant​

Dining located in Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom Park
Enter the Beast's enchanted castle for an unforgettable dining experience—bon appétit!

 

[zackiedawg]

I'm OK with it - despite the fact that I spent many many hours of my childhood on Tom Sawyer island...I get why it's not much in use today. I've been going to Disney World since it opened in 1971, every year through 1975, then multiple times a year (we lived in NJ, then moved to Florida which made it feasible to go a few times a year). Back then, you bought a general admission ticket to get transportation and park access, and a book of ride tickets (A through E), allowing you to go on a particular ride based on which ticket level it was rated at. As kids, we ripped through the E tickets all too quickly, usually ending up with several books of A-C tickets left, and no D or E. Tom Sawyer Island was a D ticket, but compared to all the other attractions at that level, we could get hours of entertainment out of that D - the boat ride over on the raft was fun, then there were the caves to explore, hills to climb, barrel bridges, crawl around the fort and shoot air rifles at the passing boats. We'd hide in the recesses in the caves and pop out to scare people passing through - we knew them like the back of our hand. But honestly, aside from getting older and not caring as much about all the little 'play' things to do, once the admission went over to a general ticket to get in, where all those other rides could be done over and over again, we really stopped going over there except for the occasional fond memory. In the days before video games, cell phones, headphones, and virtual immersion, Tom Sawyer island served as our version of becoming a 'character' in a game - be it soldiers in a fort, indians, miners, cave explorers, or just living in a different time...it was our escape. Kids today don't want those kinds of escape anymore - there's little role-play and mind-fantasizing - it's all on screens and living as avatars.

Those old 'A-E ticket' days were still fun - after burning through all the tickets, you could still stay in the park, enjoy all the theming...and there were even a few 'free' attractions that didn't require tickets. Carousel of Progress was more of an AC break, as we weren't all that excited about it as kids - but I think we must have ridden on 'If You Had Wings' 50,000 times in the 70s. It was the rare Omnimover ride that was free, included with general admission, and we got our 'money's' worth riding that one!

I have faith Disney will separate Carsland and the track from Frontierland - there will be a berm, trees, maybe a fake mountainscape, that will make the track not visible when walking through Frontierland. Just as you don't see Galaxy's Edge from DHS until you pass under the tunnel or weave your way through the walls from Toy Story land, I think a similar thing will be done to keep the new MK lands separated enough from each other to not intrude on the theme and atmosphere.

 

[hertamaniac]

Although I remember as child romping around the fort and caves, the nail in the coffin was when they announced the shooting gallery would be closing. Then I thought, if they merely renamed the island to something more generic it could reinvigorate the area, but still came up with the same conclusion. The attractions have outlived their design life in MK.

Had these attractions been part of the core in another theme park, say arbitrarily, Dollywood, my feelings of not touching it would be significantly increased. There is something about IP ($$$) that constantly morphs a legacy attraction into modernish days.

I won't miss TSI or RoA and am eager to see the new attractions and how the land dynamics will play out over the next decade.

 

[sam_gordon]

ORRRRR....We can come onto friendly forums like this great community & freely voice our opinions.
And while I'm opining, I'll add that, IMO, CARS belongs in Fantasyland. They are blurring the identities of each land too much.

Of course, and others get to freely voice our opinions about your opinions.

 

[The Mayor]

I think it’s a great idea and a great spot for it. They are taking a lot of under used space that is mainly water and pavement and turning it into a new attraction the more people will use and ride the rides than utilize TSI or the Riverboat.

Change is necessary to keep things fresh and drawing people back. I think with all these new attractions coming to all four parks were somewhat forced by all the growth at Universal. I doubt anyone will stop going to MK because TSI and the Riverboat are gone!!!

 

[cabanafrau]

Although I remember as child romping around the fort and caves, the nail in the coffin was when they announced the shooting gallery would be closing. Then I thought, if they merely renamed the island to something more generic it could reinvigorate the area, but still came up with the same conclusion. The attractions have outlived their design life in MK.

Had these attractions been part of the core in another theme park, say arbitrarily, Dollywood, my feelings of not touching it would be significantly increased. There is something about IP ($$$) that constantly morphs a legacy attraction into modernish days.

I won't miss TSI or RoA and am eager to see the new attractions and how the land dynamics will play out over the next decade.

I think it’s a great idea and a great spot for it. They are taking a lot of under used space that is mainly water and pavement and turning it into a new attraction the more people will use and ride the rides than utilize TSI or the Riverboat.

Change is necessary to keep things fresh and drawing people back. I think with all these new attractions coming to all four parks were somewhat forced by all the growth at Universal. I doubt anyone will stop going to MK because TSI and the Riverboat are gone!!!

I'm not opposed to the idea of changes, or have any special particular memories of TSI. Hopefully they are putting in an attraction that turns out to be great, or at least really good.

I question losing the riverboat, because I think experiences like that add much more than may seem on their face. The riverboat, the RR, the People Mover are not my absolute favorite attractions, but sometimes they are just what's needed to have a chance to step back, relax a bit and still appreciate the park and decompress a bit. When the sky buckets were removed I really missed them for that exact reason. I find it a bit easier to keep on enjoying my day with little breaks spread throughout where I recognize I'm savoring the experience.

I think the idea of something more laid back like TSI or the riverboat is what the parks shouldn't totally remove, particularly with how large the crowds have become over the years. Swapping out the chill vibe and adding more pavement is more of what I question. At a certain point even a cluster of well executed attractions loses a lot of appeal if the storytelling holding them together is simply endless pavement instead of thoughtful placemaking Disney pioneered.

 

[Jrb1979]

Of course, and others get to freely voice our opinions about your opinions.

I will tell you I absolutely hate how they plop new attractions into the parks with our any thought of park theming. I guess with today's guests and fanboys like you park theme doesn't matter. Give me new attractions with IP I know.

This video sums up well how I and some others feel.

 

[sam_gordon]

I will tell you I absolutely hate how they plop new attractions into the parks with our any thought of park theming. I guess with today's guests and fanboys like you park theme doesn't matter. Give me new attractions with IP I know.

This video sums up well how I and some others feel.

So I'm a "fanboy" because I'm saying what, exactly? That I think people are overreacting based on information they don't even have? LOL. OK.

 

[Jrb1979]

So I'm a "fanboy" because I'm saying what, exactly? That I think people are overreacting based on information they don't even have? LOL. OK.

We already know Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island and most like Muppets are leaving. It's not hard to understand why many are upset. For many Disney Parks are what they grew up and the like the nostalgia factor.

For some reason the new generation doesn't care about that. They want flashy and new.